1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a grilling accessory. More particularly, the present invention relates to a grilling grate which flips over when lifted.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are a number of accessories to make the grilling experience easier and more enjoyable. Accessories include utensils, starters, rotisseries, lights, meat thermometers, brushes, griddles, racks and baskets. Cooking baskets generally come with a handle extending from one side thereof for flipping. The handle, however, prevents the grill cover from closing completely. The single handle design makes it cumbersome for flipping and can only manage approximately 3-lbs of food. Finally, these cooking baskets provide no stage presence for the basket.
In fact, others have attempted to develop grilling accessories which enclose the food being cooked. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,882 to Fielding et al. shows a basket with a removable handle. Although the handle can be detached, it must be reattached and then manually rotated in order to flip the food being cooked. The attachment and detachment of the handle over a hot grill is time consuming and results in undesirable grill cooling as the food is being turned over. Further, it is difficult to rotate the handle once it is attached to the basket, because the weight all resides at one end thereof. Also, attachment of the handle is difficult if the grilling surface is not at the same level as the edge of the grill housing itself, which is the case with one of the most common grills on the market, that is the kettle grill.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,717,029 to Rowe et al. shows another attempt to provide a grill assembly for enclosing food in a manner permitting the food to be turned over during the cooking process. However, if the grilling surface is not at the same level as the edge of the grill housing itself, it is difficult to attach the handle needed for rotating. Additionally, rotation of the grill assembly requires the user to cross his arms. This has also been found to be very awkward.
Other devices, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,983,218 to Persinger et al. and 5,782,224 to Rabell, have gone so far as reengineering the grill itself to allow for the flipping of food enclosed between two grates.
Lastly, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0031478 to Gifford shows a rotatable grill assembly requiring an adapter be added to the grill in order to accommodate the rotatable racks.
The present grate has been developed to overcome the shortcomings in grilling accessories currently offered. The present grate achieves this by providing a grilling grate having a surface area of up to 254 square inches and takes up the majority of a conventional 22½ inch diameter charcoal kettle grill. The pivot technology employed in accordance with the present invention allows for easy and effortless flipping, which does not require manual rotation of the grilling accessory. Still further, since there are no handles attached during cooking, the grill cover can close completely allowing the cooking heat to be optimized. Flipping a burger that takes up the majority of a 22½ inch diameter grill has a huge stage presence and generally catches the attention of just about everyone at the backyard BBQ or tailgate and becomes a conversation starter.